CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ITS PSYCHOLOGY

• NCJ Number: 59719
• Author(s): A COHN; R UDOLF
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 356 pages
• Corporate Author: Van Nostrand Reinhold
• Sale Source: Van Nostrand Reinhold
• Publication Type: Overview Text
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS BOOK, INTENDED FOR POLICE, LAWYERS, SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, AND UNDERGRADUATES, EXAMINES THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

Abstract

THIS BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE AMERICAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FOCUSES ON BOTH GENERAL AND SPECIFIC GOALS OF CRIMINAL LAW, MAJOR PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW, PAST AND PRESENT THEORIES OF THE ETIOLOGY OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS. THE IDEA THAT THE U.S., CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS AN ADVERSARY SYSTEM IS FUNDAMENTAL TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE SYSTEM OPERATES. HISTORICALLY AND CURRENTLY, THE MOST COMMONLY ACCEPTED PURPOSE OF CRIMINAL LAW IS TO VINDICATE PUBLIC MORALITY BY PUNISHING CRIMINALS. AN EXAMINATION OF CRIMINAL LAW REVEALS THAT WHAT SOCIETY CALLS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR INCLUDES A MOST DIVERSE ASSORTMENT OF CONDUCT. CRIMINALS ALSO INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF PERSONALITY TYPES AND SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS. AN EXAMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ON CRIME VICTIMS AND WITNESSES IN TERMS OF WHO THE VICTIMS ARE, WHAT CAUSES WITNESSES TO OFFER OR WITHHOLD HELP, AND WHAT TYPES OF VICTIM COMPENSATION PROGRAMS EXIST, SUPPORTS THE CONTENTION THAT MANY STATES ARE MAKING EFFORTS TO ADDRESS WITNESSES' AND VICTIMS' SPECIAL NEEDS. TO EXAMINE THE ROLE OF POLICE IN THE SYSTEM, VARIOUS ASPECTS OF POLICE WORK MUST BE CONSIDERED, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF POLICE, THE PROCESS BY WHICH THEY ARE SELECTED, THE TRAINING THEY RECEIVE, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PUBLIC. METHODS USED IN TRAINING LAWYERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, PSYCHIATRISTS, AND SOCIAL WORKERS, AS WELL AS THE ROLES OF THESE VARIOUS PROFESSIONALS IN THE SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED. FINALLY, PRETRIAL AND TRIAL PROCEDURES, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN JURY SELECTION AND TRIALS, POSTCONVICTION PROCEDURES, AND IMPRISONMENT STAGES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS ARE CONSIDERED. THE BOOK INCLUDES CHAPTER REFERENCES, STATISTICAL TABLES, AND GRAPHS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUBJECT AND NAME INDEXES ARE PROVIDED. (KCP)